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Payroll information
W-2 forms will be mailed by Jan. 31 to employees' addresses on file via USPS.
Requests for duplicate W-2s will not be accepted until Feb. 15. If the W-2 has not been received by Feb.15 or has been lost, the form W-2 Replacement Request can be accessed on Employee Self Service - Forms - Benefits, Human Resources, and Payroll - Payroll Forms - W-2 Replacement Request and submitted via interoffice mail or faxed to Central Payroll Processing at 816-932-9679 or scanned and attached in an email addressed to payroll@saint-lukes.org. Replacement W-2s will be mailed to the employee address on file within five business days.
If you claimed exempt status for Federal Income Tax withholding purposes for 2012, you must complete a 2013 Federal W-4 form by Feb. 8 to continue with exempt status for 2013. If a new exempt W-4 form is not received by Feb. 8, withholding will be calculated as single with zero withholding allowances starting with the March 1, 2013 pay day.
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New Admissions Unit at SLH working for patients and nurses
A new nursing unit for patients admitted to Saint Luke's Hospital is resulting in the ultimate "win-win" - increased patient satisfaction as well as increased nursing satisfaction throughout the hospital. The new Admissions Unit is staffed with both nurses and nursing assistants, all focused on quality patient care and expediting a timely admission process.
"We can get the ball rolling early in the admission process with timely patient care, initiating treatment interventions quickly, and improving patient transfer by ensuring the patient is assigned to the appropriate unit within the hospital," said Donell Wolf, clinical nurse manager, Admissions Unit.
The nursing staff in the 12-bed unit receives patients from a variety of venues including the Emergency Department, directly from home, physician's offices, and other health care facilities. The unit was a FOCUS 2015 initiative and has identified a number of goals including higher patient satisfaction, standardization of the admission process, and off-loading the admission procedures from nurses on the floors.
A crucial goal for the unit was improved patient and nurse satisfaction. Nurses working in the unit say they have noticed the benefits since the opening this past October. "I like this role because I'm more engaged with the patients and get to know them right off the bat," said Christina Reyes, R.N. Reyes was once a charge nurse in the Medical Surgical Unit at SLH. "Patients like it because we can tell them what to expect earlier. Also, we're able to facilitate more interaction with the doctors while patients are in the admission unit. We are able to work more directly with families which is rewarding as well."
"The nurses working on the Admissions Unit like it because it's something new, but can also appreciate the unit based on their own prior experiences under the old system," said Wolf.
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Making a Difference
Each and every day our dedicated and passionate employees make a difference in the lives of our patients, visitors, and colleagues. We would like to highlight some of those stories. If you have a colleague you would like to recognize, please send the employee's name and how he or she made a difference to slhrounds@saint-lukes.org.
"Our inpatient Physical Therapy Department was very busy today. When I arrived at H5 to see a patient later than I had expected, I discovered that his wonderful R.N., Cheryl Burris, had already walked with him and had him use the Nu-Step (recumbent stepper)! I was able to move on to other patients because that patient had received appropriate treatment, thanks to Cheryl! Kudos to her for her amazing dedication to teamwork!"
Carol Hobbs, P.T.
Inpatient Rehabilitation
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Clinical Excellence Nursing Awards
It is time once again to begin thinking about that special R.N., nursing assistant, nurse management representative (C.N.M. or director of patient care), or advanced practice nurse who exemplifies excellence in your practice area. During Nursing Week in May, we will recognize those employees who have won these special awards during the Clinical Excellence award ceremony. In addition to the dedicated area for specific awards, there are five different awards for R.N.s and a special Nursing Assistant Award. From the Rising Star Award for the fabulous new graduate, to the Mary Reed Award for the tenured bedside nurse, there are many opportunities to recognize the outstanding nurses on your unit.
The application period is short, so now is the time to begin nominating those who help make Saint Luke's a great hospital. Applications for the various clinical excellence and leadership awards will be accepted until March 6 at midnight. Nominations can be sent electronically to GRP - Nursing Award Nominations. Please refer to the Nursing Award fliers on your unit by clicking here, or contact your unit representative for help on how to submit nominations.
For questions, please email Lyndea Rose, Nursing Professional Development Chair.
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Epic validation sessions to begin throughout health system
The validation of workflows and other critical processes that will be required for installation of Epic, Saint Luke's new electronic health record, will begin at facilities throughout Saint Luke's Health System on Jan. 29. The validation sessions mark the beginning of the implementation phase with the ultimate go-live date scheduled for first quarter of next year.
The sessions will involve multiple personnel from numerous departments, and include heavy involvement from more than 500 subject matter experts (SMEs) who have been identified to help with the project. During the sessions, participants will preview Epic's functionality and modeled workflows. This allows the Epic team to make the appropriate adjustments so the system can function exactly as needed.
"This is an important step in our process, and we appreciate the strong support we've seen from all areas of the health system," said Carl Dirks, M.D., chief medical information officer. "The SMEs will continue to be a key touch point for each of their individual departments as we move forward." Individual departments can identify their assigned SME by accessing the project Sharepoint site (see below).
Saint Luke's announced plans for implementation of the new electronic health record system, Epic, during a health system leadership meeting on Oct. 31, 2012. Design and build for the first phase of the Epic system will take place throughout 2013 and will go live in the first quarter of 2014 for metro hospitals (including Crittenton, Cushing, and Smithville).
Support for Horizon Clinicals will continue uninterrupted, although most of the support will be outsourced during this time, as Saint Luke's Information Services staff works on the Epic implementation.
Questions about the new system can be directed to the Epic Leadership Team via email at Epicslhs@saint-lukes.org. Further information can be found on Sharepoint, under the SLHS Site Epic Implementation, or by clicking here.
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Healthy Weight for 2013 web conference
 Are you tired? Drained of energy and always hungry? Now is the time of year to reevaluate your eating and exercise habits to help you feel energized and achieve a healthy weight that is right for you.
Chris Stephens, M.S., B.S.N., R.N., ACSM-CES, has created a simple healthy weight tip sheet to help you get started. Then make plans to participate in an upcoming web conference - Top Tips for Weight Loss - by Becky Captain, R.N., M.S.N., CLS, BC, FNP-C, Cardio Wellness Center manager.
This interactive web conference can be viewed from the convenience of your computer on Jan. 31 from noon - 12:30 p.m.
During the web conference, you will learn about:
- Foods that lift your energy and don't deplete it
- Healthy foods that continue to make you crave more of them
- How you can lose weight and feel better by applying a few practical and simple strategies to your eating
You will not want to miss these simple, practical tips to help get rid of the extra pounds and feel healthier. To register, email yourhealthmatters@saint-lukes.org. Visit the Your Health Matters - Called to Excellence webpage located on the Employee eLink.
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Celebrate healthy hearts
 February is American Heart Health Month and it will begin with a big splash of RED! Each year, the first Friday of February is a day when we call attention to the No. 1 killer of women - heart disease. This day is designated as National Wear Red Day® - a day when Americans nationwide will take women's health to heart by wearing red to show their support for women's heart disease awareness.
The Red Dress®, the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness, was created by The Heart Truth® in 2002 to deliver an urgent wake-up call to women. Join The Heart Truth on National Wear Red Day to help spread the critical message that "Heart Disease Doesn't Care What You Wear - It's the No. 1 Killer of Women.®"
Everyone can participate in the national movement by wearing their favorite red dress, shirt, or tie on Friday, Feb. 1.
Stay tuned for healthy tips throughout the month of February so we can all help prevent heart disease by reducing risks and following a heart-healthy lifestyle.
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Saint Luke's Hospice is currently looking for new volunteers!
 Saint Luke's Hospice provides support and care for persons in the last phases of incurable disease to ensure a life of quality. Volunteers provide social support and respite to hospice patients and their families. They visit patients and families in their homes or in nursing homes to provide companionship, a listening ear, and a caring presence. As a volunteer, you have the opportunity to be part of a dedicated team devoted to continuously improving the quality of our patient care.
Upcoming volunteer training is scheduled for:
Thursday, Jan. 24 - 5:30 - 9 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 29 - 5:30 - 9 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 31 - 5:30 - 9 p.m.
If you are interested in becoming a Saint Luke's Hospice volunteer, please contact Melissa Tinklepaugh at mtinklepaugh@saint-lukes.org or call 816-360-8009.
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Saint Luke's in the news
SLH has been making news, and our staff is sharing its expertise in the media. Click on the linkbelow to see the full story.
Bright Spaces at Saint Luke's, Kansas City Nursing News, 12/31/12
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Schwartz Rounds
Thursday, Feb. 7
Noon
Saint Luke's Hospital
BMW Conference Room
Topic: "'Befriend Me?' Plusses and Pitfalls of Using Social Media for Care Giving"
Panelists: Dawn Murphy (Senior Vice President, Human Resources), Bonnie Johnson (Patient Safety and Risk Management), Lorell LaBoube (Media and Communications, Center for Practical Bioethics and CaringBridge user)
Facilitator: Tarris Rosell, Ph.D., D.Min
Lunch provided.
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TraceMaster ECG downtime
In an effort to improve services to Saint Luke's Health System, Information Services has scheduled changes to the TraceMaster ECG application. Clients accessing this application from all campuses will experience interruption of service as follows:
TraceMaster ECG application services will be down on Tuesday, Feb. 5: 5 - 9:30 p.m.
TraceMaster ECG will not be available during the downtime at any location until the updated service is back online at 9:30 p.m.
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Blood Drive
Community Blood Center is the primary supplier of blood for local hospitals and has been serving Missouri and Kansas hospitals for almost 50 years. Community Blood Center needs to collect 580 pints of blood every day and more than 140,000 pints annually to meet the needs of our local hospitals. An individual within the area that Community Blood Center serves needs a blood transfusion every four minutes.
You have the opportunity to do your part for local hospital patients at the next Community Blood Center Blood Drive.
Thursday, Jan. 31
7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
SLH
B Level
BMW Conference Room
Contact Kay Weir for more information at 816-932-2448 or via email at kweir@saint-lukes.org.
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2012 Holiday Cookbook copies available for purchase
Copies of the 2012 Saint Luke's Health System Holiday Cookbook are still available to purchase for only $3. Thank you to all employees who contributed and made the 2012 cookbook a success. This year's cookbook features the Saint Luke's Hospice House cookie recipes. To purchase a book, send an email request to
GRP-SLHS-Holiday Cookbook.
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Credit Union corner
Now is the time to open your 2013 Christmas Club Account at the Credit Union. If you put in as little as $40 per pay period into this account, you will have more than $1,000 for the next holiday season. Call or stop by any branch location to get your account started today!
Are you ready to go automated in 2013? You can complete transactions to your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This freedom to access your account will give you the opportunity to transfer money, make payments by paying your bills online, monitor your spending with our free account aggregate and budgeting tools, and more. And finally, you can access your account on a computer, iPad, or your cell phone. It's simple, safe, and secure! Stop by or call for more info.
Are you thinking about buying a new or used car? Stop by the Credit Union first - we have great low rates and our friendly loan officers can have you in that new car tomorrow. Call or go online to fill out a loan application.
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'Like' us on Facebook!
Stay current on upcoming events, health trends and news, fun facts, wellness tips, and more through the Saint Luke's Facebook page! Next time you're on, search SaintLukesKC - and click "like."
We ensure that your private information will not be viewed, accessed, or used by becoming a fan of the Saint Luke's Health System Facebook page.
If you have any questions about privacy or safety, please visit facebook.com/help/privacy.
As employees, you are already Saint Luke's biggest fans - so be sure to show your support through social media!
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